Annual Report 2007
Table of Contents
Message from Police Services Board Chair 1
Message from the Chief of Police 2
Motto, Mission & Core Values 3
Organizational Chart 4
Police Zone Map 5
Amherstburg Police Service “History” Paper 6
Amherstburg Police Awards/Recognition 8
Comparative Police Statistics 10
Three Year Budget Report 11
Three Year Crime Statistics 12
Provincial Offences/Other Statistics 13
Training Report 14
Specialized Duties 15
Uniform Patrol 17
Criminal Investigations Branch 18
Traffic Branch 19
Forensic Identification 20
Community Services 22
Core Officer 25
Marine Unit 25
Auxiliary Police 26
Business Plan Results Report for 2005 – 2007 28
Message from the Police Services Board Chairperson
On behalf of the Amherstburg Police Services Board, it is my pleasure to submit the 2007 Annual Report to the residents and Council of the Town of Amherstburg.
2007 brought with it a number of challenges and successes for the Amherstburg Police Services Board and the Police Service itself. Our Board, with the support of Chief Hollingworth, Deputy Chief DiPasquale and the members of the Amherstburg Police Service continued on our goal of financial prudence and accountability in our decision making, budgeting and strategic planning. This focus on demonstrable value to our community has, in our opinion, provided the Town of Amherstburg with an exceptional Police Service that is sensitive to the realities of our local economy.
I am also very proud of our ‘new’ tradition of recognizing our officers and members of our community for outstanding performance and acts of bravery. The opportunities to thank people for their contributions to our Service, and by extension our community are too rare and the commitment of the Amherstburg Police Service to this form of public recognition serves us all in a unique and important way.
Board Members
Chair - Joe Levack Vice-Chair - Kirsten Kurzuk Member - Frank Cleminson Member - Wayne Hurst (Mayor) Member - John Sutton (Councillor) Board Secretary - Michelle Donlon
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Message from the Chief of Police
It is hard to believe that my second year with the Amherstburg Police Service has come and gone. It seems everywhere we hear how time just flies by but it seems especially so in policing.
During 2007 many new policies have been implemented or revised and we continue to work with the Police Association and all our members for a strong unified Service. It is our goal to provide a Service that exceeds the adequate and effective minimum required in the Police Act. We have spent considerable time developing a new three year business plan to give us direction for the next three years and to help us meet and exceed the expectations of this fine community.
Once again our crime statistics show a reduction in reported crime and an increase in the clearance rate both of which are good news for our Town and its citizens. Amherstburg is a very safe community to live, work and play in.
We have heard very clearly from our citizens that we need to increase all forms of “traffic enforcement” in Amherstburg not just speeding. To some of us and many of our citizens it appears that some drivers are completely ignoring the rules of the road. We will do our best in 2008 to respond to this need.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the ongoing support and guidance of the members of the Amherstburg Police Services Board who by their actions and words demonstrate a strong commitment to this community.
Once again my thanks to each and every member of the Service for your dedication and support throughout 2007. I am looking forward to working with each one of you as we build on our past successes.
Modern day policing in Amherstburg reached a 50 year milestone during 2007 a fact we can justifiably take pride in and continue to build on as we move forward. To help us celebrate this anniversary Sandra DiPasquale, daughter of Deputy Chief Bart DiPasquale, has provided us with a short anecdotal history of our Service which is included in this annual report. Thanks Sandra for your work and input into our interesting history!
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AMHERSTBURG POLICE SERVICE
OUR MOTTO
“PEOPLE - JUST LIKE YOU”
OUR MISSION
TO BE A FIRST CLASS POLICE SERVICE, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL
OUR CORE VALUES
WE WILL ACHIEVE OUR MISSION THROUGH DEDICATION TO THE FOLLOWING CORE VALUES:
- INTEGRITY IN EVERYTHING WE DO
- OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
- OUR STRENGTH IS OUR PEOPLE
- RESPECT FOR ALL PERSONS
- FAIR AND CONSISTENT LAW ENFORCEMENT
- COMMITMENT TO HELPING VICTIMS OF CRIME
- COMMITMENT TO CRIME PREVENTION INITIATIVES
- COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
- COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS EDUCATION/TRAINING
3 Amherstburg Police Service “Organizational Chart” (effective February 19, 2008)
Police Services Board 5 Members
Chief of Police Administrative Secretary
Deputy Chief of Police
Auxiliary Police Operations Operational Support 1 Sergeant Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant 9 Constables (Uniform Patrol)
Platoon #1 School Crossing Community Services 1 Sergeant Guards 1 Constable 5 Constables 11 Civilians
Platoon #2 Criminal 1 Sergeant Investigation Branch 4 Constables 2 Constables
Platoon #3 Traffic Branch 1 Sergeant 2 Constables 4 Constables
Platoon #4 Property/CPIC/QA 1 Sergeant 1 Constable 4 Constables 1 Civilian
Records/Court/FOI Police Chaplain 1 Civilian 1 Special Constable
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The Town of Amherstburg is situated along the Detroit River approximately 32 kilo meters southwest of Windsor across from Boblo Island. Amherstburg is one of the oldest towns in the province, which enjoys being located a half hour from the US/Canada border crossings. A large percentage of the Amherstburg economy is agriculturally based, due to the rich land base and mild climate. This is complimented by a moderate manufacturing industry.
On August 1, 1957 the modern day Amherstburg Police Service was established with 3 members. Today the Amherstburg Police Service has grown to a 35 members (4 Civilians and 31 Police Officers). The town has since grown to a population of 21,750 people which includes the former townships of Anderdon and Malden.
5 The Amherstburg Police: A Brief History By: Sandra DiPasquale
As a History student at the University of Windsor I was faced with my largest yet most interesting assignment this past semester. I was to act as a professional historian and complete field research on anything in Windsor and Essex County that has historical significance. As many of us know Amherstburg has a rich historical background which fascinated me when delving into the history of the place that I have lived for 23 years. I decided to narrow my research focus and concentrated on something that I have been largely exposed to and influenced by my entire life; The Amherstburg Police. When beginning my research I quickly discovered that unlike larger police services The Amherstburg Police had a very minute amount of scholarly documented history. Much of the information that I acquired was found in old Amherstburg Echo Newspapers or was dictated to me by current or retired officers of the Amherstburg Police. Although the research process took a lot of time I have managed to come up with a brief history of Policing in Amherstburg. It may seem typical of a small town in rural Ontario, yet the history of policing in Amherstburg obtains some very unique characters and events that have helped to shape the ‘little, big town’ into what it is today.
The Amherstburg Police Service as we know it was established in 1957, by this time the Town had come a long way before establishing a Police Force that we could call our own.
Amherstburg was one of the first towns in Upper Canada to be appointed with some form of organized policing which dates back to the early 1800’s. The largest obstacle faced by the police at this time was to find someone who would actually take the job of being the only police officer in town. If you think the police today have it rough, the one man assigned as the Chief Constable was said to be performing the work of three men; not at all a prestigious position. They definitely did the dirty work of the town, literally. The Chief Constable Officer was in charge of many duties that are not even remotely related to what we see officers doing today. Preserving the peace was only a small part of the job description. He was also in charge of doing hard labour on the streets and sidewalks, inspecting livestock, nursing inmates and serving as the Town Hall janitor. All of which was to be completed on the 24 hour shift that lasted 365 days out of the year. As other towns and police forces in the surrounding areas kept expanding, Amherstburg took its usual path and stayed the same by keeping this form of policing well into the 1940’s.
It seems as though Amherstburg has always been formally recognized for its production and distribution of alcohol, today with the marketing of Crown Royal by Diageo Canada and in the past with its vast involvement in Prohibition. The latter of which created a busy era for police in Amherstburg. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Amherstburg served as one of the main rum running ports in Canada. There are many accounts of assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police during this time, since it was utterly impossible for one man to complete an assortment of jobs while still patrolling the town.
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Over time many Chief Constables fought for the assistance of another police officer but not surprisingly they were continuously denied by Town Council. This changed in 1946 when the Ontario Provincial Police took over policing in Amherstburg and surrounding municipalities. At this time the duties of the now two police officers in Amherstburg changed remarkably. They were now responsible to complete duties similar to those performed by officers today.
Approximately 50 years ago in August 1957 policing in Amherstburg took an extraordinary turn leaving the Ontario Provincial Police and once again forming a Municipal Police Force. The Amherstburg Police Force was established and was under the command of Chief George Hanna who served as Chief until 1969.
Inheriting the position of Police Chief after Hanna was Ronald Seney one of the youngest Police Chiefs ever in the Province of Ontario at age 25. With his riot gear in hand Chief Seney served a short eleven month career as Chief after being ridiculed for his ‘big city’ mentality.
After Chief Seney’s short blip the Amherstburg Police began to grow consistently. By 1975 the force grew to about eleven members and again gained two additional officers in 1981 after annexing parts of Anderdon and Malden Townships.
In 1987 the Amherstburg Police opened a new state of the art facility on Sandwich Street South, its present location, to accommodate the growing force.
The year 1999 was a turning point for the Town of Amherstburg when amalgamation with the Townships of Anderdon and Malden occurred. Because of the significant increase in population the Amherstburg Police also had to grow and reestablish their boundaries. The Anderdon Police Department joined forces with the Amherstburg Police and four newly hired officers to bring the department to 28 officers including Chief Brian Bird.
With the vast development and improvements over the years the Amherstburg Police now in the command of Chief Roger Hollingworth has grown to 31 sworn members to patrol the population of approximately 22 000 people and rising.
Over the years the residents of Amherstburg have observed and are credited with many momentous changes occurring in our Town. In light of the Amherstburg Police Services 50th Anniversary I have composed this brief history to bring forth awareness and appreciation to the striving improvements that have been accomplished by our local police and to support and respect the duties they fulfill for our town and for the people of the community.
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Amherstburg Police Awards/Recognition
In 2007 the Amherstburg Police Service hosted display acts of courage and/or self sacrifice their Annual Awards Night held at the Wesley going above and beyond the call of duty. United Church. Several members from our community and members of the Amherstburg The 20 year Exemplary Service Medal is Police Service were recognized. awarded by the Provincial Government to police officers who have completed 20 years of The Corporate Partnership Award recognizes exemplary police service to their community. any Business or Corporation who assisted the Amherstburg Police Service in serving the The 30 year Exemplary Service Bar is awarded community. by the Provincial Government to police officers who have completed 30 years of exemplary The Service Club Partnership Award recognizes police service to their community. a group or service club that has formed a lasting partnership with the Amherstburg Police Service. The 20 year Civilian Long Service Award is awarded by the Police Service Board to those The Police Services Board “Citizen Citation” is civilian members of the Police Service who have awarded to those citizens who have displayed completed 20 years of service. acts of courage and/or self sacrifice going beyond their normal civic duty. The Values, Influences and Peers 10 Year Award, recognizes any teacher or officer that has The Police Services Board “Award of Merit” is dedicated at least ten years of service to the awarded to those police service members who Amherstburg VIP program. ______
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP AWARD Joe Meloche Ford
SERVICE CLUB PARTNERSHIP AWARD Amherstburg Optimist
CITIZEN CITATIONS Ben Triolet, Theresa Harris, Anna Bryne
AWARD OF MERIT (None)
20 YEAR EXEMPLARY SERVICE MEDAL Sgt. Michael Cox, Cst. Ray Rosati, Cst. Steven Ross
30 YEAR EXEMPLARY SERVICE BAR (None)
20 YEAR CIVILIAN LONG SERVICE AWARD (None)
10 YEAR VIP AWARD S/Sgt. Tim Berthiaume, Cst. Shawn McCurdy, Cst. Joan Lovell
HIRES Cst. S. Gazdig
RESIGNATIONS (None)
RETIREMENTS (None)
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Community Inclusion Awards
Two of our officers, Sergeant Mike Cox and Staff Sergeant Tim Berthiaume, were honored by Community Living Essex County when on June 19, 2007 they received “Community Inclusion Awards”. The following is a short recap of why they were honored:
Approximately 8 years ago, Sergeant Mike Cox invited individuals from “Channel” to come to the Police station to cheer on the law enforcement torch run participants and enjoy a barbeque afterwards. This was the start of a friendship that has continued to grow over the years. Since that time, Mike has continued his involvement with the Law Enforcement torch run for Special Olympics, encouraging staff and individuals to participate in the run and annual barbeque. Every year he also coordinates a hockey game to benefit Special Olympics and everyone from “Channel” is invited to attend.
It is from this connection that “Amherstburg Hero’s” was born in September 2004. The objective was to offer a night of sports each week, and an opportunity for individuals to ‘hang out’ with local police officers. This was a huge hit. “Amherstburg Hero’s” began the first year with 12 individuals attending weekly, and has now grown to over 30. Both Mike and Tim have made a major commitment to maintain this program helped by several other Police Service members. They are not only committed to this weekly event, but take great pride in the friendships they have built. They have formed friendships that encourage individuals to gain respect and confidence in the police. Their respect for the people supported through community living is evident every week. Both Mike and Tim will often stop in at Channel just to say hello and are welcomed by everyone!
Our congratulations and thanks go out to Mike, Tim and all of our members who have helped make such a positive difference in our community.
9 COMPARATIVE POLICE STATISTICS MUNICIPAL POLICE SERVICES Population (15,000 to 49,999) Source Police Resources, Statistics Canada 2007
Population Persons/km2 Police Officers Population Per Capita Per Officer Costs
Amherstburg 21,656 58 31 699 187 ------Belleville 49,191 100 84 586 226 ------Brockville 22,257 1073 40 556 291 ------Cobourg 19,004 68 32 594 306 ------Cornwall 46,289 752 87 532 296 ------Essex 20,947 38 32 655 185 ------Kawartha Lakes 18,742 25 38 493 285 ------LaSalle 31,353 480 33 950 148 ------Leamington 29,257 56 41 714 181 ------Midland 16,047 552 26 617 251 ------Nishnawbi-Aski 19,061 7 126 151 1007 ------Orangeville 29,397 1888 37 795 185 ------Owen Sound 22,442 927 40 561 248 ------St. Thomas 37,198 1048 61 610 204 ------Stratford 31,206 1235 55 567 239 ------Strathroy 21,221 39 30 707 191 ------Timmins 42,760 14 82 521 224 ------
Ontario 2007 average per capita costs for policing $268
10 THREE YEAR BUDGET REPORT
2005 Budgeted 2005 Actual 2006 Budgeted 2006 Actual 2007 Budgeted 2007 Actual
Salaries & Wages 2,429,631.00 2,586,815.00 2,658,770.92 2,800,500.00 2,828,237.00
Benefits 701,749.88 818,239.00 766,992.49 832,505.25 822,949.31
Staff Expenses 77,400.00 75,100.00 74,666.90 78,300.00 69,532.02
Office Expenses 91,866.00 84,106.00 78,399.84 83,550.00 75,127.27
Building Expenses 90,900.00 114,000.00 108,936.21 115,000.00 111,067.38
Professional Fees 286,595.40 282,535.00 247,804.54 296,000.00 291,117.03
Miscellaneous 12,000.00 14,000.00 7,688.16 12,250.00 9,507.97 11
Vehicle & Equipment 127,900.00 151,825.00 103,334.01 136,825.00 110,919.17
TOTAL OPERATING 3,818,042.28 3,760,459.00 4,126,620.00 4,046,593.07 4,354,930.25 4,318,457.15
Capital/Debt/Reserves 551,033.00 562,289.00 261,087.00 259,118.07 289,587.00 276,603.50
Total Revenues (67,900.00) (118,488.65) (301,300.00) (249,861.91)
TOTAL NET COSTS 4,369,075.28 4,322,748.00 4,319,807.00 4,147,590.29 4,343,217.25 4,345,198.74
Total Net Budgeted Percentage Difference Year over Year - 2005 to 2006 = minus 1.14%
Total Net Budgeted Percentage Difference Year over Year - 2006 to 2007 = plus 0.54%
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T A T S E M I R C S C I T S I Other Criminal Code Federal Statutes Impaired Driving Arson Firearms Drugs Assaults (all) Mischief Under Mischief Over Fraud Possession StolenGoods Theft Over Break &Enter Robbery Attempt Murder Murder Theft Under 890 165 100 186 240 18 35 28 1676
5620 0562 01 620 0621 0 4180 04182 2 1420 201 6 310 120 10 01 0 0 Reported 2005 912 157 119 160 249 27 49 29 117016 90
78210 Reported 2006 823 155 111 131 223 20 53 26 74 Reported 2007 107 28 11 10 16 32
0 0 8 Unfounded 2005 93 29 16 25 8 6 0 3 4 Unfounded 2006 74 21 10 19 12
1 1 4 6 Unfounded 2007 783 137 208 176 60 89 18 35 20 14 Actual 2005 819 128 224 111 154 74 27 46 25 10
6801 Actual 2006 748 133 204 127 64 99 19 52 20
74523 Actual 2007 174 54 10 36 18 19 769134 7 7 Cleared By Charged 2005 211 58 10 58 27 22 7 7 Cleared By Charged 2006 213 68 10 49 19 28 8 5 Cleared by Charged 2007 177 49 24 47 16 23 13
0 Cleared By Other 2005 189 49 36 50 24 12 10 0 10 Cleared By Other 2006 165 52 16 50 24 13 0 4 Cleared By Other 2007 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 44.8% 75.2% 16.3% 93.3% 17.0% 13.3% 33.3% 66.7% 0.0% 0.0%
Clearance Percentage 2005 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 48.8% 83.6% 20.5% 97.3% 12.3% 68.0% 12.2% 50.0% 25.0% 16.7%
Clearance Percentage 2006 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 50.5% 90.2% 12.7% 16.5% 45.0% 20.3% 50.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Clearance Percentage 2007
PROVINCIAL OFFENCES
2005 2006 2007
Traffic Offences 1646 2345 1708
Liquor Offences 62 74 73
Other Provincial Offences 224 325 267
Total Provincial Offences 1932 2744 2048
OTHER STATISTICS
Motor Vehicle Collisions 355 321 321
R.I.D.E. Programs Conducted 24 15 28
Summons/Subpoenas Served 384 416 397
Parking Tickets Issued 41 46 50
Police Clearances Issued 663 955 951
False 911 Calls Responded To 1070 842 524
Actual 911 Calls Responded To 69 62 64
Total 911 Calls 1139 904 588
Incidents (Calls for Service)
Dispatch Generated Incidents 6078 5510 5269
Self Generated & Walk-In Incidents 2629 2822 2933
Total Incidents 8707 8322 8202
13 Training Report
Courses/Seminars/Workshops/Conferences
The Amherstburg Police Service continues to provide top quality training to the 31 Sworn Members of the service, 3 Civilian Members, 10 Auxiliary Officers, 1 Special Constable, and the Police Service Chaplain. During 2007, all Sworn and Auxiliary officers requalified in annual Firearms, Defensive Tactics and Use of Force training accounting for approximately 35 days of training.
Throughout 2007, Officers were requalified in Radar Operations and CPR/First Aid another approximately 35 days of training. In-Service training also included 3 mandatory on-line training courses for Blood Borne Pathogens, Hospital Based Decontamination and WHMIS. Officers also voluntarily took other on-line courses in Unified Command, Terrorism Awareness, Container Inspections and Hazardous Materials Awareness. Numerous Video Training topics supplied by the “Ontario Police Video Training Alliance” were viewed by our members as part of our ongoing commitment of providing our officers with the most up to date training and information available.
Other notable training completed in 2007 includes:
Forensic Identification Course – OPC (Ontario Police College) 1 Officer 60 days DNA Data Bank Sample Collection - OPC 1 Officer 2 days Forensic Identification Seminar - Toronto 1 Officers 5 days DNA Warrant Sample Collection - OPC 2 Officers 1 day x 2 Senior and Elected Officials Workshop - Essex Civic Centre 3 Officers 2 days x 3 Transition Supervision to Leadership - Waterloo via OPC 2 Officers 5 days x 2 Emotional Intelligence - Windsor via OPC 8 Officers 1 day x 8 Tools for Tolerance - Los Angeles, Simone Wiesenthal Centre 3 Officers 3 days x 3 NOVA Peer Support Training - Windsor 1 Officer 3 days NOVA Peer Support Training - Windsor 1 Civilian 3 days Team Building - Windsor via OPC 1 Officer 1 day Car Seat Technician - Windsor 4 Officers 1 day x 4 Car Seat Recertification Training - Windsor 2 Officers 1 day x 2 Intoxilyzer Recertification - Amherstburg 5 Officers 1 day x 5 Freedom of Information - Amherstburg 2 Officers 1 day x 2 CPIC Trainer Course - OPC 2 Civilians 2 days x 2 Radar Instructor Refresher - Amherstburg 1 Officer 1 day Search Warrant Course - Windsor via OPC 2 Officers 5 days x 2 Incident Commander - Windsor 1 Officer 5 days Media Relations Course - OPC 1 Officer 5 days Creative Media Relations Course - Amherstburg 2 Officers 1 day x 2 Domestic Violence Coordinator’s Workshop - OPC 1 Officer 4 days Victim Services Crisis Team - Windsor 1 Officer 5 days Negotiator & Incident Commander Refresher - Windsor 2 Officers 4 days x 2 Surveillance Course - Chatham 1 Officer 4 days Motor Vehicle Theft & Fire Investigation Course - Windsor 3 Officer 1 day x 3 Bicycle Safety Patrol - Tecumseh 1 Officer 1 day Leader Course - OPC 1 Officer 10 days Freedom of Information Seminar - Port Hope 1 Civilian 2 days Learn Conference - Port Hope 1 Civilian 1 day Interviewing & Interrogation - Windsor via OPC 1 Officer 10 days Sexual Assault Investigations – Windsor via OPC 1 Officer 10 days CPIC Web 3 - OPC 1 Civilian 3 days
In all there was in excess of 55 weeks of training for our members not counting the on-line courses and training videos. There are also several members engaged in academic learning on their own time to obtain certificates and degrees from various institutions.
14 Specialized Duties
Audits/Quality Assurance Community Based Policing Constable T. McWhinnie Committee Constable J. Lovell Auxiliary Liaison Officers Staff Sergeant P. Palumbo Constable Selection System Sergeant M. Cox Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume Staff Sergeant P. Palumbo Biker Enforcement Unit Deputy Chief B. DiPasquale Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume Co op Student Program Chid Sex Investigators Constable J. Lovell Constable V. Burany Nora Newman Constable S. Ross Margo Purdie Constable M. O’Brien Constable M. Taylor Crossing Guards Constable D. Bohdal Constable J. Lovell Constable S. McCurdy Sergeant M. Cox Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario Coach Officers Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume Constable M. Capel-Cure Constable S. Ross Constable N. Harris Critical Incident Management Collision Analysts (Level 3) Reverend K. Breithaupt Constable M. Capel-Cure Constable S. McCurdy Constable N. Harris Digital Mug Shot System Collision Scene Investigators Constable T. McWhinnie (Level 2) Constable T. Gerard Dispatch Liaison Constable R. Pelaccia Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume
Commissioner of Affidavits Domestic Violence Coordinator Margo Purdie Constable S. McCurdy Nora Newman Domestic Violence Officers Communicable Diseases Constable V. Burany Constable V. Burany Constable S. Ross Constable N. Harris Sergeant J. Saxon Sergeant C. Sterling Computer & Crime Analysis Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume Constable P. Smith Staff Sergeant P. Palumbo
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Drug Investigation Specialists Search Coordinator Constable S. Riddell Sergeant D. Brown Sergeant M. Cox Staff Sergeant P. Palumbo Sexual Assault Investigators Emergency Preparedness Constable S. McCurdy Deputy Chief B. DiPasquale Constable V. Burany Constable S. Ross Fraud Officers Constable M. O’Brien Constable P. Smith Constable M. Taylor Sergeant C. Sterling Constable D. Bohdal Sergeant M. Cox Freedom of Information Margo Purdie Sex Offender Registry Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume
Forensic Identification Officers Torch Run Coordinators Constable D. Bohdal Constable M. Taylor Constable F. Adair Sergeant M. Cox
Intoxilyzer Operators Training Officers Constable S. Ross Constable J. Lovell Constable M. Capel-Cure Constable V. Burany Constable N. Harris Constable M. O’Brien Constable M. Taylor Sergeant D. Brown Sergeant D. Brown Staff Sergeant P. Palumbo Sergeant M. Cox
Media Liaison Vi-Class Program Constable S. Ross Constable T. McWhinnie
Constable J. Lovell Victim Services Liaison Motorcycle Unit Sergeant C. Sterling
Constable R. Pelaccia Constable R. Rosati WSIB Liaison Staff Sergeant T. Berthiaume R.I.D.E. Program Sergeant J. Saxon
Scenes of Crime Officers Constable V. Burany Constable R. Pelaccia Constable S. Ross Sergeant C. Sterling
16 Uniform Patrol
The Amherstburg Police Service dedicates 4 Patrol Sergeants and 16 Constables to the patrol division under the direction of Staff Sergeant Pat Palumbo. These officers work a 12 hour shift system that provides 24 hour coverage 365 days a year. A minimum of 3 officers will be on duty at any given time. Their primary purpose is to respond to all calls for services, investigate motor vehicle collisions, preserve the peace, prevent crimes, provide assistance to citizens and victims of crime, apprehend criminals and other offenders, lay charges and participate in prosecutions, execute warrants, enforce by-laws and perform other lawful duties as assigned.
In addition, many of our patrol officers are highly trained “generalist officers” with added responsibilities. This includes but is not limited to the ability to investigate “Benchmark” crime calls, fully trained Forensic Investigation officers, Scenes of Crime Investigators, Domestic Violence Investigators, Sexual Assault Investigators, Collision Analysts and Scene Investigators, Coach Officers, Marine Operators, Motorcycle Operators, Intoxilyzer Operators, Various Trainers, and Police Bicycle Operations.
Patrol also is actively involved in numerous community based initiatives including the Torch Run for Special Olympics, VIP program, Community Living Basketball program, etc.
17 Criminal Investigation Branch
The Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is responsible for the investigation of serious criminal offences such as sexual assaults, robberies, criminal harassment, sudden deaths and missing person(s). CIB has two highly dedicated and well trained detective constables who fall under the direction of Staff Sergeant Tim Berthiaume. CIB manages the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS) which analyses possible links to serious violent crimes throughout Canada. They are also responsible for liaising with other Municipal, Provincial, Federal, and International law enforcement agencies.
The year 2007 proved to be another busy year for CIB. The Detectives were directly involved in 139 investigations which represents a 10% increase from 2006. Investigations resulted in more than 70 charges being processed with some investigations still ongoing. The following graph shows the case load analysis for the Branch. 2007 Case Load Analysis Criminal Investigation Branch
Violent Crimes 14% Drugs Property Crimes 9% 23% Search Warrants 5% Other 48%
Some of the more notable investigations include:
In July, while investigating another incident, Detective Constable Ross received information that led to the discovery of an unreported homicide that occurred in Windsor. The information was confirmed and a suspect was later apprehended and charged with First Degree Murder. The Windsor Police Major Crime Unit expressed their appreciation for this officer’s good work.
In October, human remains were discovered in a remote area near North Side Road and County Road 20. The Criminal Investigation Branch, with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police, embarked on a major investigation. The lengthy investigation resulted in three persons being charged with a criminal offence.
In conclusion, the Criminal Investigation Branch is an important part of the service provided to our community by the Amherstburg Police. The year 2007 was and extremely busy year for the Branch and we are looking forward to the challenges that 2008 will bring.
18 Traffic Branch
In 2007, the Amherstburg Police Service Traffic Unit consisted of two full time officers. These officers were dedicated to all aspects of traffic safety including commercial motor vehicles, off road vehicles, aggressive driving and school busses. The unit was also utilized to target problem areas that were pointed out by members of the public. These directed patrols were very successful and had a positive impact on the citizens that called in their traffic concerns.
Throughout 2007 the traffic unit participated in numerous car seat clinics, joint force traffic initiatives and Commercial motor vehicle enforcement campaigns. These types of projects were done with the assistance of the Windsor Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, MTO and LaSalle Police Service. The traffic unit continued to utilize a low profile Ford Crown Victoria specifically designed to aid in traffic enforcement. The two traffic officers laid more than 800 charges in 2007.
The introduction of a new speed measuring device, the Laser Atlanta Speed Laser allowed members to run numerous speed campaigns using a number of officers at all times of the days. This Laser assisted the operator to measure the speeds of multiple vehicles in just seconds and while travelling in groups.
The Amherstburg Police Accident Reconstruction Officers were called upon 8 times throughout 2007, for 5 personal injury/fatal motor vehicle collisions within Amherstburg, and 3 calls for assistance from other agencies for injury/fatal motor vehicle collisions. The SOKKIA total Station, laptop and Crash Zone software continued to be used during these investigations and provided great assistance in the investigations. Late in 2007 a new data recorder the Allegro CX and software was purchased to assist in these types of investigations.
The Amherstburg Police Service Traffic Unit continues its commitment to traffic safety so that our town may be safer for all.
Constable Matt Constable Nathan Capel-Cure Harris
19 Forensic Identification
The Forensic Identification Unit of the Amherstburg Police Service is comprised of 2 fully trained Forensic Identification Officers and 4 Scenes of Crime Officers. The unit is overseen by S/Sgt. Berthiaume of Operational Support.
The Forensic Identification Unit’s duties include:
Collecting, preserving and gathering physical, trace, and latent evidence Correlating and preparing that evidence for court presentation Analyzing, comparing and evaluating physical evidence such as fingerprints, footwear impressions, tool marks, tire impressions, and physical matches Crime scene evaluation and documentation Fire scene evaluation and documentation Fingerprinting and photographing prisoners DNA sample collection for the National DNA Databank DNA sample collection for consent and warrant samples Preparing case submissions to the Centre of Forensic Science Assist with serious traffic accident investigation Provincial Sexual Offender Registry Providing support to any investigation where forensic input is requested or required Preparing photo line-ups from the database of accused mug shot photos
The majority of the unit’s calls continued to be property related such as theft and mischief complaints. The Amherstburg Police Identification Unit also assists other agencies such as when stolen vehicles from other jurisdictions are recovered in Amherstburg. On occasion we also assist the Essex Police Service when their identification officers are unavailable.
Assist Other Other Service S/Death's 5% 5% 12% Assaults 21%
B&E's/Theft 31% Mischief 26%
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Some of the Unit’s highlights for the year 2007 include:
With the assistance of OPP Forensic Identification Officers, an investigation into found human remains in a field in Amherstburg resulting in charges being laid against several parties. Cst. Fred Adair successfully completed the Forensic Identification Officer training course at Ontario Police College Cst. David Bohdal attended the Toronto Police Forensics conference in March 2007.
Constable Dave Constable Fred Bohdal Adair
21 Community Services
Programs
The community services section has 1 full time officer, Constable Joan Lovell, who is tasked with bringing a wide range of programs to the Amherstburg Community. The programs cover every age group and a variety of topics. The majority of presentations are done at the school level, however on demand seminars are given as needed or requested throughout the year. Some events are annual events repeated from year to year while other programs depend directly on current events occurring within the community.
School programming includes: - VIP (Values Influences and Peers) program which provides every grade 6 student in Amherstburg a minimum of 10 visits by a police officer to the classroom to cover topics such as peer pressure, drugs, citizenship, bullying etc. On average it works out to about 350 students in 10 classes. - Elmer the Safety Elephant is taught in every grade school to students from junior kindergarten to grade 4. The school has a flag that is used to show good rule keeping. Plaques are awarded at the end of each safe school year. - Every student from grade 1 through 5 has an opportunity to attend the Children’s Safety Village for interactive lectures on safety. Students in JK and SK are each fingerprinted into a safety booklet which is then sent home to the parents along with information on child safety and code words. - Grade 5 students attend a Racing against Drugs Program which is developed in partnership with the RCMP and other surrounding area police departments. - For grade 7 and 8 there is an internet safety program that is taught to students, these programs tell of events based on true stories, and help students to learn how to safely use the internet. - At the secondary school level programs are taught on drinking and driving, safe proms, classes in law and careers classes.
The Community Services Officer also sits on both secondary schools’ parent councils as the community representative. This year the Police Service took on co-op students for both the morning and afternoon sessions. The co-op students will assist the Community Services Officer in the delivery of a variety of programs and power point presentations, along with other duties.
For seniors we deliver several programs during our senior’s week and on demand throughout the year. Topics covered for seniors include, senior driving, Senior Moment, identity theft, counterfeit money, telephone fraud, senior wandering, vital link (safe medications), elder abuse, and apartment watch.
Adults are offered programs on internet safety, bullying, identity theft, counterfeit seminars, frauds and scams, women’s safety, winter driving, Block Parent,
22 Neighbourhood Watch and Park Watch. These presentations occur throughout the year and are held both at the Police Station and at other community venues.
Citizens that experience a break and enter to their home or business are contacted by the police and a free “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design” evaluation is offered to assist them with target hardening their home or business to reduce risk of a second break and enter.
Partnerships
The Amherstburg Police have partnered with Community Living and an educational program is delivered once a week to members of Channel Industries, topics such as workplace safety, personal safety, and first aid and CPR are covered.
We partner with the Optimist Club to bring a yearly bike rodeo to the kids of Amherstburg and we partner with the Masons and bring each grade 1 student a new bike helmet. We partner with Co-operators Insurance and the Fire Department and sponsor an annual child car seat clinic, which sees an average of 40 car seats installed.
Joe Meloche Ford in partnership with the Police Service has sponsored our community services branch by providing a vehicle for the past 2 years.
The volunteers in our Park Watch Program partnered with the River Lights display and provided security in the evening hours for this new event. The Park Watch Program extended its working season by several months to accommodate this display and it was successful and will become an annual event.
Committees
The Community Services Officer is involved in many committees, some requiring more involvement than others. The Amherstburg Community Based Policing Committee meets once a month and spearheads a variety of programs such as Block Parent, Park Watch, Car Seat Clinics, Torch Run, Identity theft, counterfeit money seminars. They are involved in fundraising to support local programs such as drinking and driving and safe prom. To fundraise they have had bake sales, barbeques, dinners, and raffle draws. There are 20-30 active members that volunteer for Park Watch, many of them are college students needing to get community service hours to graduate.
Other committees that we are involved in are, the United Way, Amherstburg Business Association, Safe Seats Save Children, Youth Speak, Victim Services, BRAD Committee, High School Liaison Committee, Diversity Committee, Media Relations Committee, Tears and Jeers Committee, VIP Committee, Community Service Officers Committee, Race Against Drugs Committee, TAPPC Committee.
23 Special Events & Other
Amherstburg is a town with many special events throughout the year which can require assistance in planning and participation.
The Amherstburg Police Service is frequently represented by the Community Services Officer at Canadian Citizenship Court, “swearing-in ceremonies”. This event sees an average of 150 new Citizens take the oath of citizenship. The event provides the Amherstburg Police Service with an opportunity to welcome these new citizens into our country and to encourage them to visit or settle in our community. We also partnered with the school board and brought this court to a local school so students could be involved.
We celebrated our annual Police Week festivities at the Devonshire Mall along with other area police services. We also held our annual open house at the police station which saw an average of 250 people come through the displays and meet the officers.
Our annual Awards Banquet was also a huge success. We saw several officers receive their twenty year service medals, and we honored several citizens for their commitment to our community and the police service. This event was attended by 80 people who were provided a great dinner.
The Community Services Officer hires and trains all crossing guards in the Town of Amherstburg each school year, manages their work schedules, placement, complaints and equipment use. In the event a crossing guard is not available for duty the Community Services Officer attends to the corner.
24 Core Officer
In 2007, the Amherstburg Police Service created a “Core Officer” position under the direction of the Operations Staff Sergeant. The salary for this position is partially recovered through a Provincial grant.
This position is staffed by a uniform officer, Constable Ray Rosati, who focuses on the downtown core business section and town parks to maintain a higher level of visibility in these busy areas.
In addition, this officer maintains a great deal of interaction with the youth from the local community who frequent these areas. A great deal of time is spent on foot patrols rather than in vehicle patrols.
This officer can also be utilized anywhere in the community where we need to target our efforts at a specific problem such as vandalism and break and enters.
Although only one position providing limited coverage, we have already seen a decrease in vandalism from 164 incidents in 2006 to 133 in 2007.
Marine Unit
The Town of Amherstburg has approximately 17 kilometres of shoreline along the Detroit River and Lake Erie. Within our boundaries we also have Boblo Island and several other “man made” land masses to police. Pleasure craft operators frequent the land masses such as White Sands and the area surrounding Crystal Bay.
The Amherstburg Police Service operates a 22 foot Limestone boat and has six trained police marine operators as well as several trained auxiliary officers who assist the regular police to patrol shoreline, islands and land masses within our boundaries.
In 2007 the Marine Unit saw limited action due to staffing shortages however the boat was active for our major events such as Canada Day fire works and the Amherstburg Heritage Homecoming celebrations for the slave crossing re-enactment.
Sergeant Don Brown
25 Auxiliary Police
During 2007, the Amherstburg Police Service saw the resignation of 1 officer, a leave of absence for 1 officer and the hiring of 3 new officers at the end of 2007. The training for the new officers took approximately 1 month before they were qualified to assume regular duties commencing in December, 2008.
The authorized strength of the unit is 10 members, 9 Auxiliary Constables and 1 Auxiliary Sergeant.
During 2007, Auxiliary Officers performed over 1578 hours of service with the Amherstburg Police in addition to attending 500.5 hours of training.
As in previous years, auxiliary officers performed various duties in addition to patrol functions. These include but are not limited to foot patrols during festivities such as Wine Festival and Canada Day celebrations, traffic control during various parades, RIDE, Marine Duties, and Bicycle Patrol. They also attended numerous Community Based activities such as Racing Against Drugs, the Annual Torch Run for Special Olympics and attendance at formal functions such as Citizenship Court. Sergeant Mike Cox
26 AMHERSTBURG AUXILIARY POLICE SERVICE HOURS BY MONTH 2007
350
300
250
200
150 SERVICE HOURS
100
50
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug MONTH Sep Oct Nov Dec
AMHERSTBURG AUXILIARY POLICE TRAINING HOURS BY MONTH 2007 120
100
80
60 TRAINING HOURS
40
20
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug MONTH Sep Oct Nov Dec
27 Business Plan - Results Reporting (2005 – 2007)
Criminal Investigation Objective: To promote and ensure excellence in criminal investigation services.
How: 1. Ensure each criminal investigator continues to receive skills development and learning.
2. Ensure each investigator is trained and accredited in all of the major criminal offence areas.
3. Ensure compliance with the Police Services Criminal Investigation Management Plan.
Results: 1) Skills Development - All officers assigned to Criminal Investigations are placed into the unit for a minimum 3 year secondment. Officers are rotated in offsetting years so that new secondments are mentored by an experienced Criminal Investigator.
2) Training - All officers seconded into criminal investigations receive all required training. Frequently, courses which are not mandated are also provided. A benefit to patrol is that when officers rotated out of Criminal Investigations back to patrol, they bring their training and experiences with them. This allows major cases to be handled on patrol without straining the resources of Criminal Investigations.
3) Accountability – Compliance with the Police Services Criminal Investigation Management Plan continues to be monitored by Staff Sgt In charge of Operational Support.
4) Intelligence - Regular attendance and contact with Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario (CISO) has been a focal point of during the last business plan. Keeping abreast of crime trends in our province and the country is a priority. Regular Intelligence information and Bulletins are disseminated to all officers to assist in crime and crime detection.
28 5) Drug Enforcement - During 2007, a regular officer was seconded to the Anti Violence Initiative Strategy (AVIS) focusing on drugs, guns, and organized criminal groups. This Unit has been instrumental in the seizure of over $1 million of drugs thus far. Weapons and other proceeds of crime have been seized as well. A number of warrants have been made in the Town of Amherstburg.
Property Crime Objective: To ensure that Amherstburg is a safe Community in which to live and work
How: 1. Continue to reduce Break and Enters.
2. Assist citizens with Crime Prevention measures such as conducting Home Security Audits.
Results: 1) Break and Enters - Statistics indicated a drop of actual Break and Enters from 74 to 64 from 2006-2007, a decrease of nearly 15%. Additionally, the clearance rate was much higher in 2007 from 2006, 20.3% from 12.2%. This trend would indicate that crime prevention initiatives were successful in addition to our efficiency levels increasing as evidenced by the clearance rate.
2) Home Security Audits - A Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) evaluation is offered free of charge to any citizen or business in the Town of Amherstburg.
Community Patrol Objective: To effectively respond to identified community crime and disorder problems
How: 1. Listen and respond appropriately to citizens concerns
2. Ensure communications staff are courteous and promote the reporting of incidents to police.
29 3. Adopt Intelligence led policing model. (Patrol where the crimes are)
4. Consistent and regular attention and enforcement of Traffic Issues.
5. Research the formation of a Traffic Unit to address Community Traffic Issues.
Results: 1) Dialogue - The Amherstburg Police Service continues to listen and respond to all citizen concerns in our community. To this end, we have held open houses welcoming citizens into our office and having open and frank dialogue. We continue to be proactive in numerous public information meetings including: Police Week, Car Seat Inspection clinics, Attendance at Citizenship court welcoming new citizens into not only Amherstburg, but the surrounding communities
2) Traffic Issues - We have expanded our traffic visibility to include 2 full time traffic officers tasked with enforcing traffic laws on our highways. These officers are not assigned to regular calls for service. All traffic related complaints by citizens’ results in the generation of an incident report which is tasked as “directed patrol” to uniform branch. Additionally, follow up is assigned to the traffic officers who must perform at least part of their shift to the designated problem area.
3) Intelligence Led Policing - With the new upgrades to our RMS system, coupled with the division of Operations and Operational Support overseen by 2 Staff SSgt’s, better monitoring of crime areas has been realized with success. When an identified problem area is noted, saturated patrols, directed patrols and use of unmarked units have been utilized resulting in arrests and charges against criminals responsible.
4) Visibility - During the last Business cycle, a “Core Officer” position was established (with the assistance of funds from the Province) whose duties including regular contact with business owners, particularly in the down town core. In addition, the officer is responsible to conduct regular foot patrols in the parks area and liaise with youth who congregate in the area. The visibility has led to decreases in property crime, particularly vandalism. The interaction also serves to keep police informed of any possible problems which may be developing.
30 Community-Based Crime Prevention Objective: To increase the community's participation in helping to prevent and solve crimes
How: 1. Police Service conducting Security Audits of homes and businesses.
2. Continued revitalization of Neighbourhood Watch Program.
3. Broaden the reach of Crime Stoppers Program.
Results: 1) Security Audits - 4 officers have been trained in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). These officers are tasked with attending every Break and Enter and perform an evaluation to ensure that the environment is designed to more effectively deter a recurrence of crime. In addition, this evaluation is offered prior to any crime taking place through our business partnerships, police week etc. Neighbourhood Watch- This program has not been revitalized in its historical sense. Citizens seem to be reluctant to advertise that they are assisting police perhaps fearing being targeted by the criminal element. However, the amount of anonymous calls from citizens reporting suspicious activity has been increasing. It is believed this is due to the dialogue established between the Amherstburg Police Service and citizens through such initiatives as our Open House.
2) Crime Stoppers - Reports are received regularly. Incidents are created and reports are funneled to the Criminal Investigation Branch for follow up prior to dissemination to patrol. All reports followed up to their natural conclusions.
31 “PEOPLE - JUST LIKE YOU” Contact Information: Amherstburg Police Service 532 Sandwich Street South Amherstburg, Ontario N9V 2Z3 Telephone: 519-736-8559 Communication Centre 519-736-3622 www.amherstburg.ca/policehome.htm [email protected]
Chief George Hanna (1957 - 1969)